“This year, the Subcommittee has focused on ensuring that this country has effective preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities at all levels of government, in the private sector, and among individuals and communities. The Subcommittee has assessed the response and recovery efforts to the many storms this country has experienced this year. This hearing will continue those efforts by assessing the impact of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, particularly on hard hit areas in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and considering the lessons learned from those storms so we can continue to enhance our preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.”

“At this hearing, the Subcommittee will examine the emerging threat to the U.S. homeland posed by the Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram. In late August, a Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the UN headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 23 and injuring more than 80. The attack represents a major escalation in targeting and tactics by Boko Haram, which had previously targeted only Nigerian entities. Importantly, the evolution of the group mirrors that of other terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. While some believe Boko Haram will focus only on targets within Nigeria and does not have the intent or capability to strike the U.S. homeland, the same was believed about AQAP and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, before the near fatal attacks over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 and in Times Square in May 2010. It is critical we examine all potential terrorist threats to the homeland, and I look forward to hearing from an expert panel on what steps the United States should take to ensure Boko Haram does not hit us here.”